A cataract is a clouding (usually gradual) of the eye's natural lens. Most adults over age 60 have symptoms of cataracts. A cataract can be the reason sharp images become blurred, or seeing things at night is more difficult. It may also be why the eyeglasses or contact lenses that used to help you read, or do other simple tasks, no longer seem to help. More than a million cataract operations will be performed nationwide this year alone.

What are the symptoms of a cataract?

Because the cloudy lens allows less light to reach the retina, distance and/or reading vision is often fuzzy and indistinct through the affected eye.

Other key symptoms of cataracts:

Difficulty reading small print such as the newspaper

Difficulty driving, especially at night

Annoying glare from sunlight and or car headlights

Cloudy or hazy vision

Diminished color perception

How are cataracts diagnosed?

Cataracts are diagnosed during a comprehensive eye examination at LaserVue Eye Center. Many factors are considered when making the decision to perform cataract surgery. These factors include:

Medical History - It is important for our eye doctor's to determine your visual symptoms and how they impact your everyday life. Questions will be asked about your general medical history, including any medications you are currently taking and whether you have any allergies, prior eye disease, and previous surgeries.

Eye Exam - Initially, we determine your vision (or visual acuity). Refraction is then done to determine your prescription and to see if changing glasses will improve your vision. Our eye doctor's use a slit-lamp microscope to examine the front structures of the eye, including the clarity of the cornea and lens. An ophthalmoscope with special lenses is used to examine the back structures of the eye, including retina and optic nerve. Eye pressure is also checked to check for glaucoma. The doctor determines if it is a cataract that is reducing vision and not another condition. This will help the doctor decide if your vision is likely to be improved by removing the cataract.

Discussion - If cataracts are present, then you and your doctor can discuss your treatment options. If you are still functioning well and activities are not limited by the quality of your vision, a decision may be made to wait before removing the cataract. If helpful, a change of glasses may be recommended. The decision to have cataract surgery can only be reached after you and your doctor discuss the benefits, risks, and alternatives. You also should discuss the possibility of having an Advanced Technology Intra-Ocular lens implant during the Cataract procedure.

What should I expect when undergoing cataract surgery?

Cataract surgery is outpatient. During surgery your eye if anesthetized so that there is little pain or discomfort. You also will receive IV anti-anxiety medicine to make sure you are relaxed and comfortable throughout the procedure. Unless you have special health problems or insurance requirements, your surgery will be performed in a comfortable, friendly, accredited outpatient surgery center.

Although it may vary, surgery usually takes 15 to 30 minutes. We usually have patients arrive an hour before surgery and stay about 45 minutes after the procedure before going home. You will not be allowed to drive yourself home, but you will probably be able to drive to your post-operative visit the next day (assuming you were driving before surgery).

What happens during cataract surgery?

Cataract surgery involves removing the cloudy natural lens and replacing it with an intraocular lens implant (IOL). Dr. Jay Bansal uses state of the art micro-surgical techniques using a sophisticated ultrasonic device (phacoemulsification) to remove the lens and replace it with the intraocular lens implant. The implant is held in place by the outer capsule that surrounds your original lens. The IOL implant helps your eye focus properly after surgery but you will most likely need glasses for reading which are prescribed about four weeks after surgery.

Intraocular lenses are about the size of Lincoln's head on a penny and weigh the same as a kernel of corn. They are polished to the precise curvature needed to bend light rays into focus on the retina at the back of your eye. At LaserVue Eye Center, we use the new IOL Master? technology to provide the most accurate measurements to determine the correct power of your IOL.

Advanced technology lenses for cataract patients

New artificial lenses (intraocular lens) that often can ReSTORe sight at near, intermediate, and distant ranges following cataract surgery have received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.

ReZoom™ Multifocal Lens - Balanced View Optics ? Technology literally provides multiple focal points so you can see well at a variety of distances. The ReZoom Multifocal lens has five uniquely proportioned visual zones designed to provide clear vision for different light and focal distances.

The ReZoom lens is providing patients with a full range of vision and greater independence from glasses or contact lenses. Clinical studies show 92% of those receiving the ReZoom lens technology "never" or "only occasionally", need to wear glasses. Although you might prefer to use glasses for prolonged reading, to read small type, or to drive at night, most people report they can go to the store and conduct most of their daily activities without depending on glasses. The full benefit of having the ReZoom Multifocal IOL lens implant will be even more noticeable when both eyes have been treated.

ReSTOR® Multifocal Lens - A new artificial lens (intraocular lens) that often can restore sight at near, intermediate, and distant ranges following cataract surgery has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.

The clinical studies supporting the approval showed that 80 percent of patients who received the AcrySof ReSTOR® lens did not use glasses for any activities after cataract surgery.

Other intraocular lenses may produce vision at all ranges by depending on the action of the eye's muscles (accommodation). But the AcrySof ReSTOR® lens provides different ranges of vision based on a lens configuration that enables specific distribution of light in response to how wide or small the eye's pupil might be. This light distribution design is called apodized diffractive optics.

Most current intraocular lenses used for cataract surgery are able to ReSTORe vision only in limited distance ranges, which means patients often must use eyeglasses or other corrective lenses following surgery.

Crystalens® Accommodating Lens - The Crystalens Intraocular Lens (IOL) is an FDA approved lens implant designed for the correction of presbyopia in addition to the correction of moderate myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness). Presbyopia is most commonly encountered when people are over 40 years old and it is due to the gradual loss of focusing ability that occurs throughout life. Presbyopia is typically corrected with reading glasses, bifocal glasses, monovision contact lens system, or bifocal contact lenses.

The Crystalens the only available IOL that actually changes focus in your eye similar to the way the natural lens worked before presbyopia. It has unique properties allowing it to flex inside the eye in response to the contraction of the ciliary muscle of the eye thus shifting the focus of the eye from distance to near. This change in focus is called accommodation.

The Miracle of Cataract Surgery

When your cataract has been removed it may seem like a miracle. All the things you couldn't see clearly are bright, clear, and vivid again. In fact, many people will tell you they haven't seen life so clearly in years. Once you see how good the world looks, you'll be so glad -- like millions of others just like you -- that a cataract is one thing you can live without. As with any surgical procedure, there are risks. You and your doctor should consider the potential risks and benefits, and determine if cataract surgery is right for you.